Ministry of

Ordained to Word, Service, Compassion, In the Congregation and Justice In the congregation, deacons help to lead and assists Deacons are ordained who lead the people of through the with presiding at the of and Holy ministries of Word, Service, Compassion, and Justice. Some deacons Communion. They also preach and teach; raise the congregation’s serve congregations in ministries of Christian education, music, awareness of the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world; lead outreach, administration, or . Some deacons serve outreach ministries; and conduct and . Their outside the church in such ministries as social-service organizations, ministry in a church includes sending the faithful into ministry schools, legal services, or as . outside the church walls.

Ordination and Leadership In the World

Ordained ministers are leaders who are set apart in ministries that Beyond the local congregation, deacons may serve in social service represent God’s love. is a lifetime covenantal relationship agencies; in church-related schools, institutions, agencies, and in that includes mutual care and accountability. It is founded in the places where people are hungry to know a loving God. While many of baptism, through which all Christians are called into of these ministries can be performed by lay people, the ordained service. Deacons are ordained into this lifetime relationship. are distinct in their accountable relationship to the church, their representative ministry (representing service to the church and the The office of the dates back to times. The church to the world), their leadership, and their lifetime commitment word “deacon” carries the meaning of “servant” and “messenger.” to this relationship. Deacons serving beyond the local church also A deacon’s work includes ministries of compassion and justice and have a “secondary appointment” to a congregation, connecting the leading the faithful in these ministries. United Methodist deacons church to the needs of the world. are appointed to their places of ministry. They typically find their place of service and request appointment from the .

First Steps – Deacon

• Read and discuss The Christian as Minister with a Becoming a Certified clergyperson or candidacy mentor. This book is available for purchase at www.Cokesbury.com. Candidate – Deacon (¶310) • Be a member of the UMC or active in a United Methodist • Contact a pastor, an , a deacon, or the district ministry setting for a minimum of one year. superintendent to inquire about admission into the candidacy process. The district superintendent invites • Register online in the Candidacy Application System and applicants to enroll in the candidacy process. pay the candidacy application fee. • Participate in a candidacy mentoring group or meet with a • Meet with the district Committee on Ordained Ministry candidacy mentor (as assigned by the annual conference) (dCOM) to discuss your call to ordained ministry, and to study Answering the Call: Candidacy Guidebook complete all required steps to become a certified and refine your call to ministry. candidate as listed in ¶¶310-314 and determined by the annual conference.

Educational Requirements and Academic Qualifications – Deacon (¶324) • High school diploma or equivalent. Continuing Steps – Deacon • Bachelor’s degree (some exceptions apply) from an approved institution. • Demonstrate gifts for ministries of compassion, justice, • Graduate degree options include: and leadership to the satisfaction of the dCOM. – Master of Divinity degree from a Senate- • Complete application requirements including health certificate, approved or other master’s degree from a background checks, written theological exam, and autobiographical University Senate-approved seminary statement. – Master’s degree in an area of specialization and • Interview first with the dCOM and then with the Board of Ordained completion of Basic Graduate Theological Studies Ministry (BOM) to be recommended for commissioning. • Alternative education available for candidates over 35 years • Receive Clergy Session approval for election to provisional old includes a bachelor’s degree, United Methodist Certification membership, followed with commissioning by a bishop. in Professional Ministry, and basic Graduate • After successfully completing the requirements of provisional Theological Studies. membership, apply for recommendation by the BOM and approval by the Clergy Session for ordination and full membership. • Be ordained by a bishop.

The candidacy process is listed in ¶¶310-314 in The Book of Discipline. The ministry of the Deacon is described in ¶¶328-331 in The Book of Discipline.

Visit www.gbhem.org/deacons for more information. Telephone: 615-340-7375 • E-mail: [email protected]